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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204749">Those Moments In Between</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skuld09/pseuds/Skuld09'>Skuld09</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Seeds Hidden in the Heart [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Family Fluff, Relationship Fluff, Vida being an adorable little bean, am I selling it yet?, slightly related one shots</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:28:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,221</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skuld09/pseuds/Skuld09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of related one shots from my main fic A Seed Hidden in the Heart. Would touch in on those in between moments in the fic but might branch out to before or after. If you haven't read it check it out! Or don't up to you.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Seeds Hidden in the Heart [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Problem With Mary's Hair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>AN: So thanks to this virus I’m out of work for the next too weeks and I’m bored out of my mind. So I got this great idea about creating a mini series to my main fic A Seed Hidden in the Heart. This is the first story but f you guys have anything that you want me to write about just message me! I think this might be fun</strong>. </p><p>Zelda loved a lot of things about Mary. She loved how Mary could anticipate her needs before she even needed them. She loved how Mary always had an ear to listen with and if anyone needed help she was willing to lend a hand. Most importantly Zelda loved how Mary was with her family, especially her daughter. Mary was the perfect parent, she was strict yet fair, fun but knew when to be serious, reliable without being overwhelming. Mary took to being a guardian to two extremes, a teen and a small child, almost effortlessly and it was just one of the reasons why Zelda loved her.</p><p>Mary had only one flaw however and that was her hair.</p><p>Now don’t get Zelda wrong, she loved Mary’s hair. Mary’s hair was soft and full of volume, perfect to tangle your fingers in. It’s just the problem is that ‘volume’ translates to ‘a lot’ and Mary had a LOT of hair. A sort of trail seemed to follow Mary wherever she went as several strands of hair would end up on things, mostly soft surfaces like the pillow cases and the back of the sofa. It wasn’t noticeable at first but over time the build up of loose hair started to become more obvious which triggered something inside Zelda. Zelda wouldn’t call herself a neat freak, she was just the type of person who liked things to be a certain way and that way just happened to be organized. So her reactions when she saw the large collection of hair on the pillow or on the headrest in her car were perfectly normal for her. She bought a large collection of lint rollers and that was that.</p><p>Or so she thought.</p><p>A month after Mary moved in Zelda noticed that her tub wasn’t draining as it normally would. It wasn’t something that she noticed at first until she came into the bathroom to brush her teeth and the tub would still be filled with water from her daughter’s bath. It gave her pause. She checked the plug and it was fully dislodged so it wasn’t that, so what could it be?</p><p>Zelda didn’t think about it again because everything seemed to go back to normal, her tub was draining like it should be until, yet again, it wasn’t. She noticed it first when she was taking her morning shower and found herself in ankle deep water. Curious, and luckily she didn’t break her neck getting out of the tub. The problem got steadily worse until she couldn’t stand it anymore and turned to the only person that she knew who could fix it, Ambrose. Ambrose was their resident handyman, he couldn’t fix big problems like when a tree fell and put a whole in their roof but for small problems he was great. He had an answer for her almost straight away when she came to him, his exact words were, “Again? I just cleared it two weeks ago.”</p><p>Two weeks ago? That was the first time that Zelda noticed the tub wasn’t draining properly. It was also, when she checked the calendar, the end of the month. That meant on the first Ambrose completed his monthly chore of maintenance on all of the household plumbing, including the tub in Zelda’s room. So the drain was clogging faster than normal and the only reason why that was that Zelda could think of was because of Mary.</p><p>All evidence pointed to Mary. Zelda never had this kind of problem before. Not when she shared the room, and thus the bathroom as well, with Hilda. There’s never been a problem with her and Vida. Mary was the only factor that added up. All that hair had to go somewhere and down her drain wasn’t one of them. So she bought a drain trap to catch it all and it was fine until… this</p><p>The drain trap needed to come out. It did its job and that was the underlying problem. A clump of hair and other things that Zelda didn’t even want to think about circled the trap. She was NOT going to touch it. She called out to Mary who came into the bathroom a bit confused.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I need you to remove that.” Zelda pointed at the drain trap but didn’t look directly at it in fear of being sick. Mary looked over the edge of the tub and grimaced.</p><p>“And what exactly is that?”</p><p>“That my dear is a week worth of your hair trying to clog up my drains yet again.”</p><p>“Last time I checked I’m not the only one with hair. How do you know this is all my doing?”</p><p>“Because I never had to deal with this before until you.”</p><p>“What’s that’s supposed to mean!?” Zelda took a deep breath. This was escalating out of proportion.</p><p>“I don’t want to fight with you but we can’t have the drain clogging up every other week. Could you please just clear the drain.”</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>A compromise was reached after that. Zelda would set the trap while Mary would clear it as well as picking up any stray hair that she could. And everything worked out just fine.</p>
<hr/><p>Part 2</p><p>There were some advantages to living in Greendale. One of them that Mary cared about the most was the humidity or lack thereof. There was little to no humidity in Greendale and thus her hair wouldn’t get staticy or dry like it did whenever she was sent to camp in Arizona. That was hell on earth.</p><p>However, Greendale did come with one disadvantage and that was rain. It rained a LOT in Greendale. Their yearly rainfall rivaled that of Seattle and Forks and they were one of the rainiest towns on the east coast. All that rain led to one thing that Mary was starting to believe was even worse than the humidity. Frizz.</p><p>When spring hit Greendale there were two things that Mary could count on, her allergies and frizz. Both things were manageable. She had her allergy medication for outside, she didn’t really need it for inside anymore thanks to Zelda’s neat freak nature. Zelda says she’s not a neat freak but she totally is and Mary loves her for it. She still had some off days, mostly it would be her eyes would be too dried out for her to put in her contacts. The frizz however, she hadn’t quite mastered. She tried everything, and she means <em>everything</em>, to try and tame it with little to no results. After years of dealing with the same thing she just accepted it as something that happened and went with it, unless something happened.</p><p>Like getting a hairbrush stuck in her hair.</p><p>The thing about her hair was that it was always kind of hard to brush. Unless she used a smoothing conditioner her hair would become coarse and make the act of brushing it twice as hard. So meeting some resistance wasn’t that unheard. None of that didn’t matter when frizz was involved and so it wasn’t completely unheard of if her brush got stuck in her hair but this was completely different. Her brush wasn’t just stuck it was <em>stuck</em>. Any other time she could get her hairbrush out of her hair but, nope. Her tugging was only doing one thing and that was causing her pain. As loath as she might want to admit it she needed help. Luckily the first person she came across was Hilda.</p><p>“Hilda.” The plump blonde woman jumped a bit, she probably wasn’t expecting anyone to still be upstairs.</p><p>“Oh, good morning Mary. Thought you would be downstairs with the others.”</p><p>“I’ve had a bit of a set back that has kept me and I’m in need of your assistance.”</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Instead of trying to explain it Mary turned around so that Hilda could get a clear view of the blue backing of her hairbrush. “Oh my! How’d this happen?”</p><p>“Would you like me to blame genetics or the weather?” She heard Hilda chuckle behind her and a warm hand landed on her shoulder.</p><p>“Brace yourself love, this is going to hurt.” Mary took a deep breath and placed a hand on the railing. Without further hesitation Hilda started to yank. She was right, it hurt!</p><p>Nether noticed Vida coming up on the first landing nor her eyes wide in horror until…</p><p>“Mommy!”</p><p>At the same time downstairs:</p><p>Zelda closed her newspaper, only one article interested her today and now that her reading was done she folded the newspaper and placed it next to her empty plate. She checked her watch and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Mary and her sister should be downstairs by now and yet when she did a head count they were missing. Ambrose was here eating a bowl while stretched out on the bench. Sabrina was putting some final touches on a school assignment. And Vida was next to her downing the last remainders of her milk. Mary’s absence didn’t go unnoticed by her either.</p><p>“Where’s Mamma?”</p><p>“I don’t know, baby why don’t you go upstairs and check up on her.”</p><p>“Okay!” With that Vida jumped down from her seat and rounded the corner out of sight. Zelda checked her watch again and sighed. At this rate Mary wouldn’t be able to sit down for breakfast. This wasn’t the first time it has happened so Zelda got up and filled a travel mug with coffee and popped some toast in the toaster. Mary could eat in the car, something that she never allowed, but Mary needed to eat something and her threat of vacuuming her entire car if she saw even a single crumb was enough for Mary to keep things neat.</p><p>“Mommy!” Zelda’s blood ran cold and she rushed out of the kitchen to where her daughter's voice was coming from. Behind her she heard Ambrose and Sabrina scrambling to catch up with her.</p><p>“Vida what’s wrong!?”</p><p>“Aunt Hilda’s hurting Mamma!” Zelda opened her mouth to say something else but froze. At the top of the stairs was her sister and her girlfriend. Something was poking out the back of Mary’s head and she had an ironclad grip on the banister. Vida looked at her with big eyes filled with unshed tears. Zelda could only imagine what all of this looked like to a four year old.</p><p>“What is going on here?”</p><p>“I was just trying to help with…” Hilda’s sentence trailed off and she waved a hand to the back of Mary’s head. Mary just gave a sheepish sort of smile and a light blush crept up on her cheeks.</p><p>“Hilda.” Zelda didn’t need to say anything else as she went up one side of the staircase. Hilda went down the other, ushering Sabrina, Ambrose, and Vida to the main floor. Vida looked up at her but Zelda just nodded and gave her a soft smile. She went with Hilda without a whimper. When Zelda reached Mary that blush seemed to have gotten darker and spread higher on Mary’s sharp cheekbones. “Let me see.” Mary turned to show Zelda the hairbrush that was half embedded in her hair. With gentle fingers Zelda observed the damage. “Come with me.” Zelda turned back to her bedroom, Mary followed her. She pointed to her vanity and, after a slight hesitation, Mary sat down. All Mary could see in the mirror was Zelda’s torso and the flexing of her shoulders as her arms moved. Next thing Mary knew the brush that was causing a tugging pain in the back of her head was being held out to her with a smug look on Zelda’s face.</p><p>“Frizz?” Mary gave her a side nod and took back the brush. There was a huge clump of hair in the bristles. Mary hates to think about the damage to her hair. “All you had to do was say something.” Mary turned to look at Zelda surprised.</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“It’s not as bad as it was when I lived in London but I’d get the occasional flare up now and again. We just need to find the right combination for you but for now...” Zelda went into the bathroom then came out with a tube in her hand. “Try this.” She squeezed some cream into her hand and then ran her fingers through Mary’s hair. It felt good, really good, and Mary gave off a low moan, it almost sounded like a purr. “That’s better wouldn’t you say?” Mary brought a hand to her hair, it felt almost back to normal, it was still a little rough but a whole lot better than it was before.</p><p>“Thank you.” Mary got up and gave Zelda a quick peck on her lips. Zelda hummed and kissed Mary back.</p><p>“There’s toast and coffee waiting for you downstairs, We need to get going.” Mary looked at the alarm clock and cursed under her breath. She quickly grabbed her shoes and scrambled to keep up with Zelda. Hilda was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, she handed Mary a travel mug and her toast. She and Vida sent them off with a hug and a wave goodbye as she, Zelda and Sabrina went off for another exciting day of Baxter high.</p><p>After that Zelda found the perfect combination to contain her frizz. Some cream, a little hairspray and she was good as golden. No more dryness. No more stuck hair brushes or cries for help. </p><p>Thank god.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Boo to You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mary takes Vida trick or treating. Ties in with chapter 7 The One With the Halloween Mash.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: So I’m not sure how often I would post new chapters but I’m starting a new project (not writing related) and decided to post this chapter before I completely forgot about this. Also I want to hear from you guys. I want to know what you guys want to see. My box is open and ready for your ideas. Everyone stay safe out their and enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mary wouldn’t admit it to Zelda, not when the other woman had so much on her mind already, but she was nervous. She had never taken care of a child as small as Vida and though Vida seemed to like her that could all change in a heartbeat. This was the first time that the two of them would be alone together, without Zelda. To say that Mary was under some significant pressure was an understatement. This one night could make or break her budding relationship with Zelda. Was she overreacting? Maybe. Was it justified? 100% Mary hasn’t known Zelda long but the one thing that Mary did know was that Vida came first. If tonight went south that was it, she was done.</p><p>So far things seemed to be going okay. Vida took to her mom leaving very well and was still excited about going out for trick or treating. If that’s what Vida wanted then so be it. Well… trick or treating was part of the deal but Mary wasn’t going to force Vida to do something that she didn’t want to. </p><p>The advantage of Greendale being such a small town was that everything was in walking distance. From the town center you could easily walk to any of the housing neighborhoods. That made things a whole lot easier for Mary, she could park her car in one spot and not worry about its safety or where she left it. Mary managed to convince Vida that they should start with the furthest neighborhood.  As they approached the first house Mary turned to Vida.</p><p>“Do you remember what you have to do Vida?”</p><p>“Yes. I ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer and then I say ‘trick or treat’. Right?”</p><p>“Very good. And what do you say after they give you treats?”</p><p>“Thank you and happy Halloween!”</p><p>“Excellent! Your golden.”</p><p>“But my dress is black.” Vida looked herself over, yup everything was black. Her dress, her tights, her shoes. What was gold?</p><p>Mary mentally slapped herself. Of course Vida wouldn’t understand. Mary stumbled on her words for a second. She paused and took a deep breath, she can’t let this phase her.</p><p>“It’s nothing Vida. Are you ready?” Vida nodded causing her pigtails to bounce from one side of her shoulders to the other. They walked up to the house, Mary hung back but kept a close eye on Vida as she stepped onto the porch. Vida turned to look at her, there was a tiny bit of fear on her face. “It’s okay I’ll be right here. You got this.” With a small smile Vida turned back to the door and rang the doorbell. A few minutes passed by until a middle aged woman with wheat colored hair that was in a neat bun answered the door.</p><p>“Trick or treat!”</p><p>“My aren’t you precious. Is this your first time?” Vida nodded.</p><p>“Yes, but my mommy sometimes lets me help my Auntie Hilda hand out candy. She works at the bookstore.”</p><p>“Dr. C’s? I think I know who you are talking about. And since you are my first trick or treater I have a special surprise for you.” Mary tensed and stepped closer to Vida. Though this woman didn’t set off any alarm bells it never hurt to be overly cautious. And if anything happened to Vida Mary was sure she would never see the light of day again and her body would never be found. The woman brought out a spellbook but when she opened it several large candy bars were nestled inside. Vida’s face glowed bright and she turned to Mary and then back at the woman.</p><p>“I can really have one!?” The woman nodded. Now came the hard part, which one? Mary scanned the bars over. They were all pretty basic, none of them contained nuts or a filling, but some had extra like the big Crunch and Kit Kat bars.</p><p>“These seem to be a good option Vida.” Mary brought Vida’s attention to the king size Hershey milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars, they were the simplest and would most likely appeal to Vida’s pallet. Vida looked between the two bars clearly torn between which one she should get. The woman smiled softly.</p><p>“How about this. I give you both but promise you won’t eat them both at once. I don’t want your mom hunting me down.” The woman looked at Mary and gave her a wink. Did she just... no... but she had to…</p><p>With her candy bars in hand Vida tried to fit them in her plastic jack o'lantern bucket with little success. Mary chuckled and held out the tote bag that she brought with her. Did she expect to fill the whole bag? No, Zelda might murder her. But Vida’s bucket wasn’t very big and would fill up pretty quick. The tote bag was there to help with that, as well as hold the flashlight that Mary brought with her just in case. Vida got the hint and placed the bars in the bag.</p><p>“Thank you very much! Happy Halloween!”</p><p>“Happy Halloween!” Vida and Mary waved the woman goodbye. One house down several more to go.</p><hr/><p>Mary decided to call an end to the trick or treating at seven. They have been out for a few hours and Vida was starting to get tired. They took a break when they finished the first neighborhood but that only stalled the problem for a little while. Halfway through the town center Vida started to complain that her feet were hurting. While yes she was tired it was bigger than that. Her shoes were physically hurting her. Mary understood and called it a night, she picked Vida up and walked back to her car. Despite that, Vida had a pretty good haul. She had to empty her jack o’lantern twice and it was half full when they called it quits. It stacked up to a nice size pile that Mary could just see Zelda scowling at. </p><p>When they arrived at Mary’s house Mary helped Vida remove her tights to see if there were any injuries. The back of the poor little girl's ankle was scraped up. It wasn’t bleeding but it looked pretty raw. After relieving Vida of her shoes they had some dinner. Mary wasn’t a cook by any means so the best she could manage was pasta with some sauce. Vida didn’t make a big fuss. While Vida was eating Mary went through the backpack that Zelda left for Vida. Inside was a change of clothes, pajamas, a stuffed bear, a blanket, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste in a zip lock bag, and a DVD, a double feature of The Addams Family. What wasn’t in there were bath supplies so Zelda wasn’t expecting Vida to bathe while she was with Mary but Mary decided to let Vida decide.</p><p>“Vida did you want to take a quick bath or shower? I can get the movie set up while you do that.” Vida tilted her head back in thought.</p><p>“What’s a shower?”</p><p>“It’s like a bath but you stand and the water comes down in a continuous spray.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand but I’m willing to try it.” Okay, alright, now what?</p><p>Deciding that it would be too inappropriate for her to be in the bathroom with Vida Mary got the bathroom ready. She started the shower, laid out a towel, and left Vida’s pajamas on the counter top. The last thing she did was brush out Vida’s braids, if she left them in water would get trapped and it would dry stiff. With one last check of the water temperature, it was ready for Vida.</p><p>“Okay Vida it’s all set up for you. There’s some soap and a sponge on the wall and I have a towel laid out for you. I don’t have any shampoo for you so don’t worry about washing your hair. Don’t worry about shutting the shower off. I’ll do it. I’ll be right outside if you need me. Okay?” Vida looked at her, she was a little scared but nodded. In she went, the door closed softly behind her. Five minutes later she was out, dressed in her pajamas and hair laid out on her shoulders in damp ringlets. “Finished?” Vida nodded.</p><p>“It was nice. Thank you Mary.”</p><p>“You’re welcome. I’m going to get changed myself so you can wait here for me or you can head downstairs if you like.” Vida nodded and she brushed past Mary to head downstairs. Mary gave a sigh of relief when she shed her Gomez costume. Between the stiffness of the actual costume and the clip digging into the back of her head it felt nice to let the slight breeze that was in her house wash over her. She really wanted to shower but decided that she couldn’t leave Vida on her own for that long. She would just have to live with her cotton sleep shorts and t-shirt and her robe. It still felt refreshing. Vida was on the couch when she came downstairs. She wedged herself between the pillows and her bear was on her lap.</p><p>“So how about that movie?”</p><p>“Yes!” Mary didn’t need to be told twice. Turning on the DVD player Mary popped in the movie. She debated on whether or not she should make popcorn but decided against it. She didn’t want to feed Vida too much and make her sick nor did she want to end up on Zelda’s bad side. They made it though half of the first movie before Vida was out like a light. Mary carried her upstairs and settled her in the middle of the bed with the comforter tucked around her. It was still too early for Mary so she went back downstairs. After some light cleaning Mary poured herself a glass of wine and picked up the book that her W.I.C.C.A. club was reading, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Rosalind Walker already read the book, led a protest on the books ban which was why they were reading it. Mary wanted the group to touch on the elements of the actual book as well as the politics behind it, mainly why it was banned. It wasn’t a school requirement nor a group one, participation was purely voluntary. Mary was proud to be a part of it. Though it wasn’t a school read, Mary was treating it as such so her plan was to read it once, absorb it, and then make notes. As the advisor she felt obligated to be prepared.</p><p>At around eleven her eyes started to get tired. So she finished the chapter that she was on and called it a night. There was a little bit of wine left so she downed it and then placed the glass in the sink to soak for the night. That’s when there was a knock on her door. How odd. Her house was out of the way, so she wasn’t the one to get casual visitors. With caution she opened the door and was met with an exhausted Zelda Spellman. Mary wasn’t expecting to see Zelda, and she definitely wasn’t expected to be kissed within an inch of her life but you won’t see her complaining. However, they didn’t have the pleasure for things to escalate any further. It was late and Vida was just upstairs. Mary led Zelda upstairs and set her up with some night clothes just like she did on their first date. Mary climbed into bed but waited for Zelda. Vida murmured a little and scooted closer to Mary. When Zelda climbed into the free side of the bed she leaned over Vida to give her a quick kiss and then kissed her daughter’s cheek goodnight. Mary settled down and before she knew it was fast asleep.</p><hr/><p>When Mary woke up the bed was empty but the house didn’t feel empty. Though it was faint, Mary could detect some noise coming from downstairs. Mary followed it and was kind of taken back. Vida was on the couch, the movie playing where it left off last night. Zelda was in the kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of bacon simmering in the pan wafted from the kitchen. Vida was the first to notice her. She smiled and held her bear close to her chest.</p><p>“Morning Mary!” That caught Zelda’s attention. She smiled softly at her.</p><p>“Morning.” Mary nodded and made her way over to Zelda. On her way she ruffled Vida’s hair. Vida pulled back but she giggled and remained smiling. When Mary reached Zelda she hesitated. Though they have slept in the same bed and Vida has witnessed some moments between them that line hasn't been laid out yet. What was considered okay and what was considered inappropriate? That was up to Zelda, and Zelda decided that kissing was okay. She kissed Mary squarely on the lips and Mary was totally okay with that. She knew enough that it couldn’t escalate any further than that, it couldn’t be like last night, and that was okay too. Mary returned it, kept it nice and simple, that was enough.</p><p>“What are you making?”</p><p>“Eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I figured you earned a little reward for what you did last night.”</p><p>“It was no trouble. It was fun. Hey Vida!” Vida’s tiny head popped up over the armrest of her couch. “Do you want to show your mom all the candy you collected?” Vida nodded enthusiastically and scrambled to get the tote bag that Mary left near the front door. She brought the bag to the table and dumped it onto the wooden surface. The result was a good sized mountain made of pure sugar and chocolate. And Zelda turned as white as a ghost.</p><p>Mary was right, she did give it the scowls to end all scowls. Vida just smiled and Mary popped a candy corn into her mouth to try, and fail, to hide her smirk. Zelda turned the scowl onto her and her smirk cost her being hit in the hip with a kitchen towel. </p><p>Worth it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Day in the Life of Vinegar Tom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vinegar Tom recalls a day in his life with the Spellmans</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vinegar Tom’s morning started when the sun rays hit his basket. He got up and stretched, first his front legs and then his back. He took inventory, his ball was where it was supposed to be but his lamb was missing. He sniffed and found it on the other side of his basket. Silly thing must have rolled out of bed again. He placed his friend where he belonged, in his basket. The lamb squeaked in thanks. Satisfied that everything was in place he went up the stairs to his people. He’s gotten better at the stairs, he no longer tripped or slid when climbing them. When he reached the door that led to his people he pressed his nose to the surface hoping it would budge. It didn’t. That meant his madam or mistress firmly shut the door behind them last night. He was saddened that he couldn’t see his people but he also knew better than to whine or scratch at the door to be let in. That only led to trouble and he was a good dog. So he laid down and waited.</p><p>His mistress came out first. His mistress was always the first one up. His head snapped up and his tail started to wag widely. His mistress just gave him a small smile and a little head pat before heading for the stairs. Vinegar Tom followed her. Back in the kitchen his mistress opened the back door to let him out. He didn’t need to go out but he went because it made his mistress happy. It turns out he did kind of need to pee but that’s besides the point. He spent most of the time soaking up the morning sun and feeling the dewy grass on his paws. There was a heavenly scent coming from further back in the yard but didn’t move closer to it. He knew that the nice lady who set up his bell spent a good time there and that it was a ‘no go zone’ for him and he respected that. Eventually the back door would open again, telling him that it was okay for him to come back in. He happily did so because he knew what would be waiting for him when he came back, breakfast. His food bowl would be filled and there would be fresh water in his other bowl. By then most of the family would also be awake. His little miss would call his name every time she sees him and he would always come. He went over to her and he would receive some nice head pats in return. Just like how his mistress would always be the first one up his madam was always the last one up. She would have enough time to eat some breakfast before it was time for his walk. He would come up to her with his leash in his mouth and give a little wine just to drive the point. His madam would sigh but relent, clipping his leash onto his harness and out they went.</p><p>Heavy woods surrounded the front of the house but there was a walking path that remained clear and well traveled on. He and madam would walk that path all the way to the little wooden bridge before bounding back. She would let him look at the water for a minute or two before heading back. Normally that would be the end of his morning. They would go home and then he would spend time with his little miss or the taller girl. He really should learn everyone’s name, that would make things so much easier. Today however, his mistress was waiting for them. She was standing next to her car and his tail started wagging. Was he going for a ride in the car!? </p><p>Please say yes... please say yes... please say yes!</p><p>His mistress held open the door and called out to him. That sounded like a yes to him! He jumped in and did a happy circle before sitting down. His mistress got in on one side and him madam on the other. His mistress was the one that started the car and he looked out the window soaking in everything that passed him. How could this day get any better!?</p><p>Going to the vets wasn’t better. Vinegar Tom did NOT like the vet. It smelt wired and it was too noisy with all the other dogs barking and cats mewling in protest. However, he knew that going to the vet was a necessary evil and that the people there were only trying to help him. So he’ll behave, it would go by much faster if he was good then if he was bad. The nurse (that’s what they are called right?) was nice, he gave him a treat for getting on the scale and then another when she was done examining him. They weren’t the best treats in the world but it was a little compensation for sticking he didn’t even know what in a place it shouldn’t go. The vet came in and looked him over as well. He confirmed that he was up to date with his vaccines, whatever those were, he was neutered, that was apparently <em>very</em> important not that he knew <em>why</em>, and he was heart-worm free. So all around a healthy, and now, a very happy dog. His people seemed pleased with this news and they left. It really wasn’t so bad but he still didn’t like it. He did however get a good treat out of it, a nice chew bone that he happily ate in his basket when he got home.</p><hr/><p>Apparently him going to the vet was a big deal because now he could be enrolled in something called ‘doggy day care’. </p><p>He didn’t know what that was or if it was a good thing. It was something important because his mistress was adamant about him going. She didn’t want him in the house by himself when there was no one home which he found ridiculous. If his people weren’t home and he was home, who was going to guard the house, the plants!? He didn’t think so. But the decision was out of his paws so to speak so he was going to ‘doggy day care’.</p><p>Though it meant a car ride for him he was still wary of going to this ‘doggy day care’. He could already hear the barking of several dogs so he wasn’t a fan of this. His mistress was talking to a woman behind the desk. Apparently she wanted to enroll him into ‘doggy day care’ four days a week! Was he going to be away for home all that time!? Was he even going home!? There were so many questions and he whined so his mistress would know that he didn’t like this, didn’t want to go, and to take him home. She just said that it was going to be okay and left. She left! She left him here and he didn’t like it! He was led to a room filled with other dogs who he’d admit looked pretty happy. They ran around chasing each other and there were things for him to climb on and toys to play with and or chew. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.</p><p>He found a rope toy and an isolated corner and started to play fetch by himself. He wasn’t a big fan of rope toys but it suited his purpose. His play caught the attention of another dog. A fellow camper by the name of Pepper. Pepper was bigger than him with white fur covered in black ticks. They weren’t solid patches like Dalmatian spots but his ears and one eye were the darkest parts on him. Pepper stretched out his front legs leaving his but high in the air. His tail was wagging telling Vinegar Tom that he wanted to play. Vinegar Tom tossed the rope toy to Pepper thinking that’s what the other dog wanted. But when Pepper had the toy he tossed it back to Vinegar Tom. It took Vinegar Tom a second before it dawned on him. Pepper wanted to play with him, not just the toy. That was new but he embraced it. They spent a majority of the afternoon together, mostly chasing each other and sleeping. So maybe ‘doggy day care’ wasn’t so bad?</p><p>One thing was for sure, his people came back for him. His mistress, madam, and little miss picked him up and though he had a good time he was happy to see them. They went on one last walk in the park before heading home where everything was back to normal. He had dinner and then joined his madam and mistress on the coach for their night time reading and then it was bed for everyone. He climbed into his basket with his ball next to him and his lamb friend by his head. He sighed in content and slowly dozed off.</p><p>Yeah, life was pretty great.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Blanket Forts to Candy Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Set in those blank moments in chapter 9 The One With the Blizzard. You don't need to read that to understand this.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>P.S. Apparently I don't know where my mind is and never gave the chapter a proper title. Sorry!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sabrina woke up to a jumping like motion. It would have been more concerning if she didn’t know who it was that was causing it. She cracked an eye and it confirmed her suspicions. Vida was jumping on her bed. And though being in her room violated the rules she knew that Vida wouldn’t be in her room unless it was important. It was kind of unfair. Aunt Zelda said that she wasn’t going to school today which meant she could sleep in but she felt like she just got back to sleep and now she was woken up again by Vida. And Sabrina knew Vida, she wouldn’t stop until she was up. Aunt Zelda taught her too well. Sabrina groaned and sat up. Vida stopped her jumping and launched herself at her cousin.</p><p>“Sabrina!” Though she didn’t appreciate the rude awakening, Sabrina did love her cousin and liked spending time with her.</p><p>“What are you doing here Vida?”</p><p>“Aunt Hilda said I had to come get you because she’s leaving and I can’t be left on my own.” Ah, makes sense. Vida took the rules seriously and she never enters anyone’s room other than her own without expressed permission. It’s something that Sabrina should do, and you think she would after she caught Ambrose doing she didn’t even want to know what, but for some reason it has stuck. She should really start doing that because now that her aunt was dating her teacher there were some things that she shouldn’t see. It wasn’t to say that she was against Aunt Zelda dating Ms. Wardwell, she thought it was awesome and she could tell how much happier her aunt was because of Ms. Wardwell. It’s just… Aunt Zelda was practically like her mother and there were just some things a teenager shouldn’t see. Deciding that she was up Sabrina got out of bed with Vida on her hip but had to put her down. Vida was heavy and she didn’t have the same strength as Aunt Zelda. Also deciding that getting dressed was just a wasted effort she went downstairs fully intending on staying in her pajamas. Vida was also still in her pajamas so why not make it a pajama party? It was the perfect day for it.</p><p>Now downstairs Sabrina turned on the TV. With it being so close to Christmas TV stations were running Christmas specials almost 24/7. It was kind of annoying but it was only for a month, she could put up with it for that long. One of the commercials advertised that they were going to be showing How the Grinch Stole Christmas that night. The good one with Boris Karloff as the Grinch. They were only allowed to acknowledge this version because Aunt Hilda refused to believe that anyone could replace the Man of Horror and Aunt Zelda couldn’t stand Jim Carry. Regardless, it was something to keep in mind and wrote a note for her to mention it to Aunt Hilda. In the meantime, what were they going to do now? The chill that settled in their house could only mean one thing. Blanket fort.</p><p>While Vida rounded up the spare blankets and pillows Sabrina moved around the furniture. The furniture didn’t need to be rearranged too much, the distance of the couch with the armchairs were perfect but the coffee table had to be moved so it wasn’t in the middle of their fort and the armchairs had to be moved in just a bit so they lined perfectly with the couch. Oh, and she can’t forget about the lamps, if anything happened to those her Aunt Zelda would have her head. When Vida came back Sabrina started to drape the blankets while Vida spread out the pillows. Vida was really good at that, she found the perfect pillow for each spot so that the entire floor inside their fort was now an even pillow floor. A blanket fort was never complete without some popcorn so Sabrina made some before joining Vida inside. One of the great advantages of having high back furniture was that they held the blankets high enough that Sabrina didn’t have to be hunched over. It was nice and warm, they just ate popcorn while watching Christmas specials and Ambrose even joined them with a bag of M&amp;M’s that they definitely weren’t telling Aunt Zelda about.</p><p>When Aunt Hilda came home she didn’t yell at them about the fort but to pay for her silence they had to help her unload the car. That was fair and she warned them when they had an hour before Aunt Zelda would be home. She would yell at them and they made sure that everything was back to normal, blankets and pillows back from where they came from, furniture back in place, and all messes cleaned up. It was like none of it ever happened but what really worked in their favor was that Aunt Zelda seemed extremely distracted. It got to a point that Aunt Hilda couldn’t take it anymore and kicked her out.</p><p>She wouldn’t be back until Sunday.</p>
<hr/><p>As much as Zelda acted like it, the world didn’t stop when she wasn’t around. Hilda was more than capable of taking care of things in Zelda’s absence.</p><p>Though she would admit she’s a little nervous. Vida has never spent time away from Zelda, not significant time like this. Zelda was stuck at Mary’s house, it wasn’t worth risking her life to come home in this weather and Hilda agreed with her. Vida also agreed, she was smart enough to know that it was better to be without her mom for a day or two instead of running the risk of never having her ever again. So Hilda asked what Vida wanted to do, they had two days to do anything. Within reason. She was surprised when Vida brought to her a board game that even she didn’t know they had. But if Vida wanted to play Candyland then by all means.</p><p>Hilda brought the game into the parlor setting it up on the coffee table. It attracted the attention of Sabrina and Ambrose but in a way that they rolled their eyes and wanted nothing to do with it. They believed that the game was beneath them. Oh, well. Their loss. Hilda set up the game, reading the rules while Vida picked out what gingerbread kid she wanted, it was a heated decision between red and blue. She settled on red and Hilda chose green. With a quick shuffle of the cards they were ready. As the youngest player Vida drew first. She drew a double yellow and moved her piece the required amount of spaces. Hilda went next, drawing green and moving, her piece just a few spaces behind Vida’s. It went on like that until Hilda drew a double yellow, landing her squarely on a ‘cherry pitfall’ space. She was stuck there until she drew another yellow card. She looked at Vida who was laughing at her aunt's misfortune and said, “Watch as I draw every color other than yellow.” Sadly, she was right and Vida ended up winning the game with a quick swift victory.</p><p>They played several more rounds with Hilda winning as much as she lost. It was fun and Hilda couldn’t remember the last time she laughed so much. Their antics caught the attention of Sabrina and Ambrose, they piqued their curiosity and it wasn’t long before they caved in and joined them. Ambrose caved first, he sat down on Vida’s left and asked if he could join the next round. They more than happily agreed, he picked blue and Vida even let him draw first as the new player. Despite that, Vida and Hilda crushed him after he drew a card that sent him all the way back to the gingerbread plum trees. It took longer to break Sabrina, she was stubborn like that but after watching a few rounds she caved in as well. She got yellow and was lucky to win her first game but on the second landed on the molasses version of the cherry pitfall spaces and Hilda swept right by her and ended up in third. Her groaning and fake tantrum sent everyone in hysterical fits of laughter. Before they knew it it was time for Hilda to make dinner but they all agreed on one thing. It was the best afternoon ever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So it's clear that I don't know what day it is but I did kind of warn you guys that the uploads would be allover the place.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Daughter, Aunt, Mother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Four Mother's day's in Zelda's life</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So like I said I don't know what day it is or how much time has gone by sorry? But I had this chapter written out and have been dying to post it for obvious reasons. Happy Mother's day to all those moms out there especially mine who has to work during this crappy time. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Zelda was five she learned about something that was at the time the greatest thing ever. She told her sister but she didn’t understand. Hilda just smiled and said, “No!” her new favorite word. Regardless, Zelda was excited and wrote out her plan. It was important to plan these things out. On the second Sunday of May Zelda gently woke up her sister and the two of them went downstairs. They made breakfast, Zelda only knew how to make eggs and toast so that’s what she made. To keep Hilda from bothering her Zelda tasked her with making a card which she placed on the left corner of the tray. With carefully calibrated balance Zelda climbed the stairs. Hilda hadn’t quite mastered the stairs yet so she crawled them up. When they reached the door to their parents room Zelda brought a finger to her lips, a sign that even Hilda knew to be quiet. Hilda covered her mouth with her hand but her giggles could still be heard. As softly as she could Zelda opened the door. Her mother was still asleep, her father… she didn’t know but he wasn’t her target. Laying the tray on the flat surface of the bed she, once she was sure that the tray was balanced, went over to her mother and gently shook her shoulder. When her mother woke up she turned her blue eyes to Zelda, then to Hilda, and finally the try at the foot of her bed.</p><p>“Happy Mother’s day.” Zelda kept her voice low and soft, trying to be considerate of the fact that her mother just woke up. Hilda copied her but it sounded more like ‘baby brober say’ it was close enough. Their mother looked at them, her eyes narrowed and then Zelda’s heart broke. Her mother kicked the tray, causing it and what it held to fall to the floor. The sound of the ceramic plate and glass breaking startled Hilda causing her to cry.</p><p>“Get out.” Zelda registered that her mother but didn’t hear what she said. She was too overwhelmed with the scene that was before her. Hilda crying her little eyes out, the tray in shatters, and the card that Hilda was so proud of slowly being smothered by orange juice. “I said get out!” Zelda tensed, not so much by the words but because of the tone. That tone only spelled out bad things and Zelda always avoided her mother when she sounded like that. She took Hilda by the hand and led her out. In the safety of their room Hilda cried her little eyes out until she wore herself out. She fell asleep with her head in her sister's lap sucking away at her thumb. Zelda had her own cry, her tears fell silently down her cheeks. She vowed then and there to never do anything like that again, the pain was just too much.</p><p>She kept her promise even when Hilda, now age 5, took their brother Edward, who was age two, led him to celebrate their first mother’s day. She stayed out of it, waited in her room for the inevitable. She waited for the heartbreak, for her siblings to come running to her in tears. They didn’t and that just made things worse.</p><p>It confirmed one thing though. She made the right decision after all.</p><hr/><p>Sabrina was seven when she came up with the greatest plan ever.</p><p>Though she’s known for a while what the second Sunday of May meant it wasn’t until now that she found a way to imply it to her. Up until this point she was the only one in her class who didn’t have a mother. It was more common to not have a father but Sabrina was completely orphaned. Despite what her classmates thought she knew it wasn’t her fault, her parents didn’t abandon her on purpose. If they knew they wouldn’t have gone but they did and now they’re dead. It’s what happened and as her Aunt Zelda always says, better to look forward than to dwell on the past. This year however, she wasn’t alone. Susie Putnam was also motherless. This time period was awkward for the both of them. They didn’t have ‘mothers’ to make cards to or to honor. So when their class time was dedicated to making these tokens of appreciation Susie made her’s for a neighbor saying that she was the closest thing to a mom so she’ll honor her.</p><p>Light bulb.</p><p>Sabrina told one other person about her plan, Ambrose. Like her he was orphaned too but it was different. She was never given the full explanation as to why but she knew the important part. Ambrose was a Spellman, his place was with them and that was that. Because he was older he was allowed to touch things, like the stove. They made pancakes, or tried to. They burned them, setting off the smoke detector and thus waking up both Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda.</p><p>“What is going on!?” Aunt Zelda stood in the entrance of the kitchen while Aunt Hilda went over to the smoke detector, waving a napkin at it. She asked Ambrose to open the back door and that got rid of the remaining smoke rendering the smoke detector silent.</p><p>“We’re sorry Aunt Zelda. Ambrose and I were trying to make breakfast for you and Aunt Hilda but we burned it.”</p><p>“Not that we don’t appreciate the thought lamb but why would you do that?”</p><p>“I know I don’t have a mom but Susie gave me a good idea. She honors the mother in her life even if she isn’t her mother. So… Happy Auntie day!” Sabrina gave her aunts an awkward smile and held out her hands, jazz hands to hopefully make everything okay. Aunt Zelda looked at Aunt Hilda. Aunt Hilda just nodded but that small action placed a small smile on Aunt Zelda’s face.</p><p>“Thank you Sabrina but next time could you come up with a plan that won’t potentially burn the house down?” Sabrina nodded enthusiastically.</p><p>“Promise.” Sabrina rushed over to Aunt Zelda and gave her a tight hug. It knocked the wind out of her but Zelda just smiled and kissed the top of Sabrina’s head.</p><p>“Now, stand aside and let the master show you how it’s done.” Sabrina chuckled and looked at Aunt Hilda who was already getting to work on fixing their mistakes with breakfast.</p><p>In the end they sat down to a Hilda prepared breakfast with conversation flowing freely between them. It was a great first Auntie’s day.</p><hr/><p>May marked the final stretch for Zelda. </p><p>In a few short weeks she would get to meet her baby, her little girl. The last eight months have been hard. There was the usual stuff like the morning sickness and the cravings, that was all normal, even expected. It’s just that usual stuff seems twice as hard when you’re doing it on your own. Yes, she had her sister and her nephew was a strapping young man but Zelda chose to continue with the pregnancy and thus her burden to bear. There was no one there to hold her hair or to rub the kinks out of her back. Everything was all on her and she was fine with that. However, that didn’t mean it made it any less exhausting.</p><p>On Saturday Sabrina had choir practice. The choir was having a spring concert, the last for the school season, and this was the last practice before the big event. Zelda didn’t mind taking her, it was something that Sabrina enjoyed. It’s just… she was tired of all the stares that got when she showed up from the parents, usually the women, of some of the other kids hung around like she did. Zelda only stayed because practice was only two hours and she didn’t feel like driving all the way home just to turn around to pick up Sabrina. She didn’t know if that was the case with the other parents but she honestly didn’t care enough to give heavy thought. She just knew that they looked at her with an air of shrewdness. They were judging her because she, a single woman with no confirmed partner, was nine months pregnant. Zelda didn’t care before and she certainly didn’t care now. The only reason that she’s never put on end to it was because of Sabrina. Regardless, Zelda sat in a chair, one hand rubbing her large stomach and willing that the next two hours go by quickly.</p><p>Half way through practice she began having some discomfort. It wasn’t quite full blown pain but it was close enough. She didn’t think about it too much but didn’t flat out ignore it either. When the thirty minute mark hit the discomfort grew to full blown pain and that caught Zelda’s attention. She did her best to portray that nothing was wrong. Practice was soon to be over, she just needed to hold out for ten more minutes. It was just her luck that the teacher announced that practice was going to be extended another half hour. Zelda couldn’t wait that long. She called out to Sabrina who reluctantly followed her out.</p><p>“Auntie Zee what’s wrong? I know practice was extended but-” Sabrina’s sentence died right there as Zelda leaned against a wall. Her breathing was shallow and her face was scrunched in pain. The pain must have been significant, Zelda never showed when she hurt. After a minute or two Zelda took a deep breath and they continued on their way.</p><p>The drive to the hospital seemed longer than it actually was. It was physically made longer because Zelda had to stop the car when a contraction hit. She got honked at a few times but she didn’t care. There was no way that she could drive the car during a contraction and she wasn’t going to risk her’s, Sabrina’s, or her unborn child’s life to try. When they arrived Zelda handed her phone to Sabrina telling her to call Hilda, she would know what to do. Sabrina just nodded. The nurse stationed at the desk took one look at Zelda and instantly knew what was wrong. She was immediately brought into the maternity wing and just in time too. Her water broke.</p><p>However, it would take several excruciating hours before she got even close to delivery. Zelda knew it was a while because Hilda had enough time to collect Sabrina, bring her home, and then come back. Though she appreciated Hilda being there her soft murmurs of encouragement were getting on her last nerves. So she snapped, it was expected, she can’t be blamed. After nine hours she was entitled to be a bit of a bitch, to put it nicely. The time to push came and if it was possible the pain grew even more intense. All she felt was white blinding pain and her heart beating so hard in her ears she couldn’t hear anything else other than a low humming buzz. </p><p>And then just like that it was over.</p><p>There was this silence and then she heard a cry. A small cry and then a tiny baby still white from birth was placed on her chest. It was her baby, that was her baby’s first cry's. She cried herself and turned to her sister who was smiling sweetly at her with tears in her eyes. She looked at her baby again, still in awe over the fact that she was here. </p><p>And then everything went black.</p><p>The next thing that she registered was a soft sound. It wasn’t quite singing but it was pretty close. It was Hilda and she was speaking to someone in a high whispery tone. Hilda was sitting in the rocking chair holding something. Hilda noticed that Zelda was looking at her and got up, taking extreme care of the bundle that was in her arms.</p><p>“Here you go Mom.” Hilda transferred what was in her arms to Zelda. It was her baby, now swaddled in a blanket made out of soft blue yarn. No longer white, her skin was a soft pale color and her cheeks were now a soft pink. When Zelda ran a gentle fingertip across her baby’s cheek the skin felt soft and smooth. Her baby made a little noise but didn’t wake, just settled further into her mother’s arms. Zelda looked at her baby, smiled, and then started to cry. Her baby was here, she was real, and never in her life has she felt so much love for another. Now and forever Zelda was no longer just aunt, she was mom and this little life in her arms meant everything to her.</p><p>“Happy Mother’s day.” Zelda looked up at her sister. Hilda nodded and Zelda knew what she meant.</p><p>On a day that used to hold no meaning for Zelda Spellman, she was given the greatest gift one could get. She was given her daughter Vida Phiona Spellman.</p><hr/><p>Unlike all the other mother’s days in her life this one was the most important to Vida for one simple reason.</p><p>She now had two moms instead of one.</p><p>She recruited Aunt Hilda to make breakfast. Being little came with a lot of disadvantages and one of those was that she could touch the stove. She couldn’t even reach it! But that didn’t stop her from helping. Aunt Hilda let her crack the eggs and stir the batter that they needed for french toast. Earlier that week they bought a loaf of a special kind of bread called brioche. Aunt Hilda said it was delicious and Vida trusted her opinion. They bought the loaf to make breakfast for everyone not just Vida’s mom’s but she was okay with that. Aunt Hilda fixed her up a tray with three helpings of french toast, some scrambled eggs, bacon, a glass of orange juice, and two cups of coffee, one black and one espresso. Aunt Hilda had to help her carry the tray up the stairs, it was way too heavy for her to lift let alone carry it up three flights of stairs. Together they silently entered her moms’ room. By some luck they didn’t wake up before her mom, Vida’s mom was a notorious early riser. Aunt Hilda found a safe place to set the tray down and then left. She winked at Vida before leaving. As carefully as she could Vida climbed onto her moms’ bed. It was really hard as she had to climb over Mamma and do so without tipping over the tray. Somehow she managed and was right where she wanted to be, in the middle. Now all she had to do was wait. At nine o’clock her mom’s alarm clock went off just like it does every Sunday. Zelda wasn’t expecting her daughter in her bed but it wasn’t an unwelcome one. Zelda happily took her daughter in her arms and kissed her cheek.</p><p>“Happy Mother’s day Mommy. I brought you breakfast.” That’s when Zelda noticed the tray loaded with food and drink at the foot of her bed.</p><p>“Vida thank you.” Zelda brought the tray closer to her. She removed the drink wear, placing the two mugs and glass on her nightstand. Then using the flat surface of the mattress she cut up all three portions of french toast before adding the syrup that was in a little bowl. It too ended up on the nightstand. With everything now set up Zelda rested against the headboard with the tray in her lap. Just as they were about to dig in they heard a groan coming from next to them.</p><p>“Do I smell coffee?” Zelda smiled and picked up the mug that just had coffee in it and held it closer to Mary. Following the scent Mary got up in a sitting position. Her hair was a wild mess but that seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind as she took the mug from Zelda and took a generous sip.</p><p>“Your hair looks silly Mamma.” Mary looked at Vida and smirked. Now sufficiently caffeinated Mary placed the mug on her nightstand so she could attack Vida. She scooped Vida up, hugging her close and blowing raspberries any wear that she could reach.</p><p>“That’s enough.” Mary looked at Zelda, who was smiling so she wasn’t mad but Mary knew enough to not push it. She set Vida now, settling her in her favorite place, between the two of them.</p><p>“So what’s the occasion?” Mary took the offered plate that Zelda held out to her and started to dig in.</p><p>“It’s Mother’s day! I wanted to do something extra special.”</p><p>“So you made us breakfast baby bear?”</p><p>“It was mostly Aunt Hilda. I’m not allowed near the stove.”</p><p>“Good girl.” Zelda held out a fork with a piece of french toast on it which Vida took. “I remember one Mother’s day when Sabrina and Ambrose nearly burned the house down trying to cook something. Thank you for not repeating that.”</p><p>“Well thank you for including me on this special day.”</p><p>“You’re the reason why I asked Aunt Hilda to do this.”</p><p>“What do you mean baby?” Zelda handed Vida the glass of orange juice when she noticed that Vida was looking at it. Vida took a few sips before handing it back to Zelda who placed it back on the nightstand.</p><p>“I wanted to show Mamma how happy I am that she's with us and the only way that I know how to do that is with french toast and we make french toast when we’re happy. So thank you Mamma for giving me two mommy’s instead of one.” Mary looked away so Vida could see the tears in her eyes. Vida hasn’t seen her cry and she didn’t want to start today. After whipping a tear or two from her eyes she turned back to her two favorite Spellman’s.</p><p>“The person who deserves this credit is you baby bear.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Well, I don’t know if you know this but your mom is kind of a mamma bear. If you don’t like something or someone she notices. So if you gave any inkling that you didn’t like me I wouldn’t even be here. So thank you baby bear.”</p><p>“What does mamma bear mean?”</p><p>“It just means that she’s really protective of you.”</p><p>“You mean like how you were with that wormy man at the apple farm?” There was a choking sound as Zelda spit out the mouth full of coffee that was in her mouth back into the cup. She was in full blown laughter and Vida didn’t know why. Mary just smirked, let it be told that Vida was a good judge of character even if she didn’t know it. When Zelda calmed down she took a few deep breaths to get rid of her excess laughter and turned to her daughter.</p><p>“Just like that, yes.”</p><p>“So I have two mamma bears instead of one?”</p><p>“It would appear so yes.”</p><p>“Yay!” Mary and Zelda smiled at each other and shared a quick kiss. Everything was absolutely perfect. When breakfast was done Zelda carried the tray back downstairs. Vida was next to her chatting away. Mary was behind them holding the coffee mugs. She looked at the two loves of her life and that’s when she knew what she had, no wanted, to do. Even if it went against her very nature. </p><p>Zelda Spellman was worth it.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Birds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vida faces her biggest fears.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vida was a lot like kids her age. She was curious, harbored an active imagination, and was easy to please but there were things that separated her from other kids her age. For one she was independent. She didn’t require heavy attention because she wasn’t known to get into trouble. She was smart, she appeared to understand things that most kids her age wouldn’t. She caught on to things like Susie being Theo much faster than anyone expected her to. She was kind to everyone and tried to extend that courtesy to anyone she met and thanks to Zelda she had impeccable manners. Despite all of her quirks she wasn’t immune to one thing.</p><p>She wasn’t immune to fear.</p><p>It wasn’t her fault, it was human nature to have fears. But most kids her age, like the ones in her class were scared of things like the dark or spiders or thunderstorms. Vida didn’t fear any of that. She didn’t mind the dark, not when she had Oso’s paw to hold and her mom in the next bed over. She wasn’t fond of spiders, not like her Aunt Hilda who kept a pet tarantula, but she wasn’t scared of them either. And she quite liked thunderstorms. She liked the way the lighting would light up the sky and the way the thunder made the clouds rumble as though they were putting. She feared something that was worse than any old thunderstorm or spider.</p><p>She feared birds.</p><p>It wasn’t all birds. She didn’t fear strange looking ones like flamingos or penguins or brightly colored ones like parrots. She feared small birds. The kind that made high chirping noises and made sudden movements like pigeons. Whenever she encountered these kinds of birds she tensed up and would hide wherever she felt safest, usually behind her mom or a loved guardian. There was only one person that she didn’t trust and that was Sabrina. She didn’t know why, just like she didn’t know why she was afraid of birds in the first place, but something just told her not to trust Sabrina when it came to birds. </p><p>No one caught on that she was scared of birds probably because they never got close to her for her to show real fear. That was the great irony about birds, one of the main things that made her fear them ment they never got close enough. There was that one time but Vida chose not to think about it, that day at the zoo was one for her favorites and she didn’t want to think about that one fleeting moment towards the end of the day.</p><p>However, in a cruel twist of fate it would appear that she would have to face her fears. Her class was doing a project to prepare for their end of the year trip to the zoo. They were each assigned an animal and despite Vida’s greatest wishes she wasn’t assigned any kind of bear but ravens. Ravens! Could you believe it!? But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t like she had to find a raven, be near it or interact with the bird in any way. She just had to look up raven’s in a book or on the computer and she could do that, right?</p><p>Wrong.</p><p>It wasn’t like she didn’t try. The nice librarian at her school had the books all prepared for them to use and when she was handed her book she started to shake. She tried to move past it, to open the book and read what she needed to know to complete her project but found that she couldn’t move. She was just frozen in place, unable to look at the photo of the ravens in her book and yet couldn’t look away. Had she gotten any other animal she would be fine but she was anything but fine right now. She also tried to explain why she couldn’t do a report on ravens to Ms. Green, but how could you really explain something that even you didn’t understand? Ms. Green didn’t believe her and the conversation only served the purpose of further upsetting her. She couldn’t go through that again so that only meant one thing.</p><p>She didn’t do it at all.</p><p>How could she! She couldn’t even think about ravens without shaking or freezing up in fear. And after what happened with Ms. Green she didn’t feel comfortable explaining why. So on the day that they were going to present their projects she dreaded her name being called on. When she stood in front of the class expected to present her project she showed the small square of construction paper with a worksheet glued to it almost completely blank. All that was on there was her name and her shaky lines in her attempts to do the project.</p><p>Needless to say, Ms. Green was very disappointed in her. Her teacher kept her inside during recess but that was only part of her punishment. She waited with Ms. Green in dread for the second half. Ms. Green called her mom to discuss her actions.</p><hr/><p>The seniors graduating was a blessing in disguise.</p><p>Zelda’s workload was reduced to two periods, Spanish 1 and French 1. She used her newly acquired free time to revise her lesson plans and was for the first time all year, ahead of her grading. With the end of the year coming up fast she started out making up the final exam for her two remaining classes. She just finished the rough outline for her French 1 class when her bottom right desk drawer started to vibrate. It was her cellphone and by the time she dug it out the call was rolled to voicemail. She didn’t think much about it until the voicemail came through.</p><p>Vida’s teacher called, something happened with her daughter and if she could come in as soon as possible. It didn’t sound urgent but rather important.</p><p>Calling it a day Zelda gathered her things to leave. Locking up her office she ran into Mary. Her girlfriend had a stack of papers under her arm and a coffee mug in her hand. She looked at Zelda, who was ready to leave for the day with question and concern.</p><p>“Is everything okay?”</p><p>“I’m not sure. Vida’s school called and her teacher had something that she wanted to discuss with me.”</p><p>“Is Vida okay?” Mary tensed up and Zelda couldn’t help but smile. Though the incident with Faustus’ son happened several months ago it was still fresh in both her and Mary’s minds and getting called to your child’s school usually wasn’t a good thing.</p><p>“Physically she’s fine but I don’t know what happened. Ms. Green didn’t go into detail. I’m heading over there now. I’ll come get you and Sabrina at four.” Mary nodded. This was her last W.I.C.C.A meeting of the year and they wanted to go over everything that they discussed over the year and have a little party to celebrate.</p><p>“Okay. Let me know what’s going on?” Zelda nodded and with a quick kiss she left for her daughter’s school. After checking in with the office she went to her daughter’s classroom where her daughter’s teacher, Ms. Green, and Vida were waiting for her. Ms. Green was at her desk appearing to be grading students' work. Vida was sitting at a table, looking down obviously upset. When she saw her Vida smiled for a moment before it fell and she turned back to looking down on the table. Ms. Green got up from her desk, rounding it so she could meet Zelda.</p><p>“Ms. Spellman, thank you for coming in when you could.”</p><p>“Of course. It sounded serious so I wanted to come over as soon as possible. What’s wrong? What happened?”</p><p>“Vida, would you like to tell your mom what happened?” They both turned to Vida. Vida sunk into her seat, trying to make herself smaller than she already was. Zelda went over to her daughter and gently lifted her chin up so she was looking at her.</p><p>“Vida tell me what’s wrong.” Vida fidgeted, whatever it was that she needed to tell Zelda she was afraid how her mom would react.</p><p>“I didn’t do a project for school.”</p><p>“What project?”</p><p>“I was supposed to do a report on ravens and I didn’t do it.”</p><p>“Vida that isn’t like you. Why didn’t you do it?”</p><p>“I just… couldn’t!”</p><p>“What do you mean Vida?”</p><p>“I...I… I don’t know! But I couldn’t do it! I just…” Vida broke down completely after that. She curled into a little ball and started to cry. It pained Zelda to see her daughter like that but there was more to this than what Vida was telling her. Zelda turned to her daughter’s teacher, hoping to get more of the story.</p><p>“What is going on?”</p><p>“I assigned the class a project to prepare for our trip to the zoo next Friday. Each student was given an animal and they had to do a little report and a sketch of the animal. I gave Vida ravens and from the very beginning she was reluctant to do the assignment. Has she mentioned the assignment to you at all?”</p><p>“No. I wasn’t aware that anything was wrong at all.”</p><p>“This whole thing is so out of character for Vida that I’m unsure how to proceed. This assignment was to prepare for the trip so the right course of action should be to not allow her to go on the trip but I know that you have signed up as a chaperone so I think that would be a bit unfair.”</p><p>“Could she do the assignment again? Now that we know there is an issue perhaps we can work past it.”</p><p>“I don’t see why not. However, because she didn’t do the assignment the first time she would be graded for her first attempt but it shouldn’t affect her overall grade. Vida is an excellent student, this was just as surprising to me as it is for you.” Zelda nodded and with Ms. Green’s permission she was allowed to take Vida home. Vida was still upset when they arrived home, Zelda decided to give her some time to herself before discussing the issue again. This whole thing was so unlike Vida and yet kind of wasn’t. Vida was too much like her, they were both reluctant to say when they were hurt or uncomfortable with something. They rather suffer in silence and try to work things out themselves even if it meant failure. Hilda was still home, one of her very rare days off, and she asked what was wrong. Zelda told her not to worry about it and she went into the kitchen to do some work before going to pick up Mary and Sabrina. When a few hours had passed Zelda went to check up on her daughter. Vida was in their room on her bed, she was curled onto herself with a book on her lap. Her Madeline book, a sign to Zelda that she was still upset about what happened. Zelda knocked on the doorframe to catch Vida’s attention. Vida turned to her with a small smile but her eyes were still sad. Zelda returned the smile as she joined her daughter on the bed.</p><p>“Vida we need to talk about what happened.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“What happened baby. Why couldn’t you do the project? Did you not understand it?”</p><p>“No that wasn’t it.”</p><p>“Then what was it?”</p><p>“I don’t know! I tried to do it but whenever I tried I would freeze up and shake and I just couldn’t do it!” Vida was becoming upset again, tears formed in her eyes and she was starting to shake a little. Zelda took her daughter into her arms, rocking her gently and humming softly in her ear. When Vida calmed down enough Zelda pushed Vida away slightly.</p><p>“Vida why didn’t you tell me you were having these problems?”</p><p>“Ms. Green didn’t believe me. She thought I was just upset over not doing bears. I was afraid you wouldn't understand and would take Ms. Green’s side.”</p><p>“Oh Vida, you have to understand that you could come to me with whatever problems you have.”</p><p>“I understand.” Zelda smiled and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. She turned her wrist to see the time. It was almost time for her to pick up Mary and Sabrina.</p><p>“Okay Vida I have to go pick up you Mamma and cousin from school. In the meantime why don’t you set up your project in the kitchen and we’ll work on it together. Okay?” Vida looked at her, still a bit shaken but nodded.</p><p>“Okay. Hug?” Zelda smiled, nice and big, and brought Vida in her arms in a tight embrace. With a kiss on her cheek Zelda left Vida, she knew her daughter trusted her enough to leave her to do what she asked. She knew this was hard for Vida but so long as she was willing to try Zelda was going to follow her lead.</p><hr/><p>“What happened with Vida?” Mary asked Zelda not long after they were back on the road heading home.</p><p>“She didn’t do a school assignment that was tied into the field trip that she’s taking next Friday.”</p><p>“Aren’t they going to the zoo? Vida loves animals.”<br/> <br/>“Yes she does except for ravens apparently.”</p><p>“Ravens? What do ravens have to do with it?”</p><p>“That’s the animal she was assigned but couldn’t do it and never told me about it.”</p><p>“What did her teacher do?”</p><p>“Failed her but she didn’t kick Vida off the trip and is allowing her to submit her assignment.”</p><p>“Is Vida okay though?”</p><p>“Honestly, no. I wish I knew what was going on with her. She says that anytime she thinks of ravens she starts to shake and freezes up. She can’t explain why it happens, it just does.”</p><p>“Sounds like she’s scared of ravens.”</p><p>“Why do you say that?”</p><p>“Well do you remember when we took her to the zoo and I took out Stolas? She practically hid behind you. Something must have happened for her to be so scared of birds.”</p><p>“That makes sense but I don’t know what could have caused such an intense fear.” Stopped at a light she looked in the rear view mirror. Sabrina, who was looking at her phone the entire time, looked up and her eyes widened in the same way when she knew she did something wrong. “Sabrina? Is there anything you care to share?”</p><p>“I think I might know why Vida’s scared of birds.” Zelda raised an eyebrow, a sign for her to continue. “A few years ago when you asked me to babysit Vida Roz and Theo came over and we had a Hitchcock marathon. One of the movies we watched was The Birds and Vida might have gotten a glimpse of the scene where the birds start attacking people. I didn’t think much about it at the time but that might be why she’s so scared of birds now. I’m sorry Aunt Zelda.” Zelda opened her mouth to say something but closed. It wasn’t totally Sabrina’s fault, she didn’t know. No one knew. Now that they knew why Vida was acting like she was they could figure out the next step.</p><p>Doing the report was easy thanks to Mary. It might have only been for a short time but she remembered a lot from when she had to take care of Stolas. They helped Vida write out what she wanted on her report but the drawing took a little more effort. The picture had to be done to the best of Vida’s own ability. How could she draw a raven without shaking? Mary and Zelda encouraged her as much as possible and the end product turned out shaky but it was something. That was good enough.</p><p>Ms. Green thought so too. She saw the effort that Vida put into it and accepted it. She also apologized to Vida. She didn’t know it was something so serious and Vida accepted the apology.</p><p>So that was that. Right?</p><p>So why did Vida still feel bad? She did her report yes but her moms had to practically prop her up to do it. She didn’t learn anything other than that she was scared of birds. She could have told them that, it’s nothing new. The real question is, what is she going to do about it?</p><p>It turns out going to the zoo was a great thing. Yes, she was able to see the bears and the frogs and the penguins again but the zoo also had a raven. She remembered from when she went with her mom and mamma. The raven that lived there looked friendly enough, maybe he could help her? It helped that both her mom and her mamma were on the trip, their school ended a day before hers and they were both willing and happy to go with her. She told her mamma what she wanted to do and she thought it was a great idea. When they reached the bird sanctuary, it was their last stop before lunch, Mary arranged with the zookeeper on duty to let out Stolas. Stolas perched obediently on her hand and in front of her class Vida gave her report.</p><p>“This is Stolas. Stolas is a raven. Ravens are medium size birds usually black in color but some can be purple. Ravens are often confused with crows but they are two different types of birds. Ravens are very smart and one of the only birds that can fly upside down. What makes raven’s special is that they like shiny things and will collect them in their nest.”</p><p>“That is a very good point Vida.” The zoo keeper chimed in. He took a step forward to address Vida’s class. “Stolas is like any typical raven of his kind and does what Vida just mentioned and hunts for shiny objects. It has become quite an attraction here and thanks to our guest and Stola’s expert skills he has raised almost $2,00 for the zoo.” The students ‘wowed’ and some of the adults rolled their eyes in disbelief. “Is there anything else you would like to say Vida?” Vida nodded and turned to Mary. That was Mary’s sign to kneel down so Stolas was closer to Vida.</p><p>“Mr. Stolas I’m sorry but I’m scared of you and others like you. I hope you can forgive me because Mamma says you’re a very good bird. I hope one day we could be friends.” Stolas squawked and spread his wings. That freaked out Vida and she ran straight to her mom. Zelda smiled and wrapped her arms around her child. Vida’s bravery was spent but she did really good, much better than she expected. Mary straightened up to place Stola’s back in his cage. She threw a quarter, one she asked Zelda for, to make him go inside. Bird sanctuary done it was time for lunch.</p><p>“Vida you did so well. I think you’ve earned a bear Popsicle.” Vida squealed and thanked Mary for helping her. That’s how Vida ended up with ice cream on her cheeks but she wore it with pride.</p><p>She took her first small step in conquering her fear and boy was it hard but it was kind of worth it. Hopefully.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Little Bear Turned Little Fish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vida learns to swim</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Being in a relationship came with one great advantage. Zelda no longer had to enroll her daughter in daycare. Though her sister was more than capable of watching Vida, Zelda couldn’t rely on her solely on Hilda. Zelda’s only other good option was Sabrina and it was getting increasingly harder for her to get her niece to watch her daughter. Sabrina was a teenager who wanted to go out and spend time with her friends, she didn’t want to be saddled with the responsibility of watching her preschool cousin. Zelda really couldn’t blame her and she gave Sabrina something that she herself was never really given at that age; freedom. So while Zelda worked in the summer Vida was enrolled in daycare, it was a bit expensive but a necessity. However, now that she had Mary she didn’t have to enroll Vida in daycare. Mary was more than happy to watch Vida and before summer started they compiled a list of things that they could do. One of those things was teaching Vida to swim.</p><p>Technically, Vida was supposed to learn last year. Vida reached the age that Zelda no longer feared for her personal safety as much as she did when her daughter was a toddler. The problem was that she couldn’t match her’s or her sister’s schedule with the swim lessons. The instructure insisted that a person over the age of sixteen be present during the lessons and with Sabrina only being fifteen Zelda couldn’t enroll Vida in the lessons. Now it wasn’t a problem because Mary, who wasn’t taking a summer job beyond the odd tutoring session, was totally free to take Vida and be with her for the lesson. When Zelda told her daughter she was excited and eager to start swimming.</p><p>But before Vida could start swimming she first needed a bathing suit. It meant that much to Zelda’s carnage a trip to the mall. Zelda hated the local mall. It was no offense to the mall itself, Zelda hated any place that held large crowds of people so the mall became one of the many places that if she could she avoided it. This was not one of those times. Yes she could have ordered a suit online for her daughter but there were two problems with that. One, Zelda didn’t know which suits would fit her daughter the best and the last thing that she wanted was to give her daughter a suit that was too big or too small. Two, she enrolled Vida late in swim lessons and the suit wouldn’t arrive in time. Hence, the trip to the mall. Not really knowing what her daughter would want Zelda let Vida peruse the swim section on her own. After a while though Zelda and Mary got a general idea of what Vida liked. Vida gravitated towards bathing suits that were more simple. She looked more closely at ones that weren’t brightly colored or looked overly complicated. That, unfortunately, eliminated a lot of options but none of them were known for giving up. They tried two other stores before Vida found something she liked. In a store that sold more athletic wear the suits that Vida liked had rashguard style tops and were one solid color or had a side band of color. Zelda liked these options a lot, she picked out two so Vida would always have a dry suit. One was a one piece with a short sleeve rashguard like top that was a medium blue color with a black side band. The other was a two piece set with a purple rashguard top and bottoms. Along with the suits Zelda bought a towel, a tote bag, life jacket, cover up and swim shoes. With that Vida was set for swim lessons.</p><hr/><p>On the day of her first swim lesson Vida stood next to a group of kids her own age as they waited for the swim instructor to finish with another lesson. Vida looked at the other kids all dawning their own swimsuits and lifejackets. Vida fiddled with the strap of her own life jacket and turned to where she last saw her mamma. Her mamma was sitting in a lounge chair with a book in her lap and large round sunglasses over her eyes. Seeming to sense that Vida was looking at her she looked up from her book and gave a little wave. Vida gave a small wave back and turned back to look out at the large pool in front of her. She had been so excited to start swimming lessons but now faced with the large pool of shimmering blue water she was a bit scared. At least she wasn’t crying like another boy two kids to the left of her. With the instructor’s current lesson finished he stood in front of the group of kids that Vida was in.</p><p>“Who’s excited to go swimming!” A few kids cheered, raising their hands and shouting ‘me me me!’ while others like Vida stayed silent. “Well before we get into the water lets go over some pool safety.” The instructor went over some basic rules like no splashing the other swimmers, don’t go into depths that they couldn’t touch with their feet unless with an adult, no pulling other swimmers underwater, no running around the pool, and most importantly listen to the instructor at all times. When the rules were given they were now allowed to go into the water. One by one they step into the pool to the second step that extends into a ledge inside the pool. Vida and the other kids all lined up on the ledge, some sat down but they made sure to keep their heads above the water. Vida remained standing, she was still a little timid but the water felt nice and cool. “So we are going to start with some basic arm movements. Let’s start with the butterfly.” The instructor made wide side circle motions with his arms. Vida along with the other kids copied what he was doing and though there was some splashing it was relatively calm. “Good. Now let's windmill.” Now the instructor made large circular motions with his arms, moving them as though they were propellers. Unlike the last stroke this one caused a lot of splashing and general chaos. It took a few minutes for the instructor to regain control back from the kids. “Okay that’s enough. Let’s try some kicking. Is everyone comfortable sitting in the water?” He looked over the ones that like Vida chose to stand instead of sit. A few of them deeming it safe tried sitting down. Vida took a deep breath and still holding onto the stair railing sat down on the ledge. It wasn’t that bad, the water made her feel floaty and it wasn’t that much different when she was taking a bath. Now everyone was sitting down except for one boy, the same one that was crying. He was still crying and the instructor was trying to sooth him and coax him into the water but the boy just shook his head. He then scrambled out of the pool and ran, breaking one of the rules, to his mom. The instructor sighed but turned back to Vida and the others who were still eager to learn. “So, kicking.” Kicking was fun. It created big splashes and after a few minutes the instructor brought out kickboards and he supported each kid circled them around into open waters but not taking them any further than a few feet from the ledge. That ended the first swimming lesson and all of the kids went to their respected guardians. Vida’s mamma smiled at her when she went over and hugged Mary’s side minding the book that was still on her lap. Mary took the towel that Zelda packed and wrapped Vida in it.</p><p>“Did you have fun, baby bear?” Vida nodded, causing little droplets of water to fly everywhere.</p><p>“I was a bit scared at first but it turned out to be fun!”</p><p>“Good girl! I knew you would be a good little swimmer, bears are pretty good swimmers.” Vida smiled and nuzzled the towel a little. When she was sufficiently dried Mary handed Vida her cover up and they left to get some lunch.</p><hr/><p>Half way through her lessons Vida was becoming more confident in her swimming. She got more and more confident in the water no longer fearing going in. The fourth lesson required a more hands on approach. They were starting to learn how to swim without the aid of the kickboard. The instructor wanting all the kids to have as much practice as possible asked all guardians if they would like to participate in the lesson. Of course Mary said yes which sent Vida over the moon. After applying sunscreen on herself (Zelda personally applied sunscreen on Vida every morning before her lessons) Mary joined Vida and her class in the pool. Mary’s job was to steady Vida in the water to the point where she could swim on her own. Though the kids were still required to wear lifejackets the goal was to get them swimming without it.</p><p>“Are you ready baby bear?” Vida nodded and reached out for Mary. Mary carried Vida to a different part of the pool that was still in the limits of Vida’s class but was far enough away that they weren’t going to be bumping into someone else. Adjusting her hold on Vida Mary moved her so that Vida was on her stomach practically floating on the water's surface. Vida immediately started kicking but her arm movements were a little lax and hesitant. Mary encouraged her as much as she could and eventually Vida’s arm movements became stronger. Soon Vida was barely in Mary's hands and feeling confident Mary let go of Vida. Vida, unknowing that Mary let go, kept swimming until she reached the wall and not seeing Mary next to her. Vida looked around until she saw Mary who remained where she let go of Vida and waved. Vida looked at Mary then the space of open water that separated them. She swam that distance all by herself? She swan by herself! That was the greatest thing ever! She went over to where Mary was, or at least tried to. She couldn’t get back in form and was left half splashing and half bobby in place. Mary gave a little chuckle and swam over to Vida.</p><p>“Did you see me Mamma? I swam all the way to the wall!”</p><p>“I know! You’re getting the hang of it baby bear! Before you know it you’ll be doing it by yourself.” </p><p>By the end of the lesson Vida swan three more times by herself. Three out of five, it wasn’t bad odds.</p><hr/><p>Graduation day came and Vida was nervous. Though she was swimming pretty well on her own she never attempted more than a few strokes without her life jacket on. This test required her to swim from the wall to a lane divider. It was a bit intimidating but her mom was here that day and she was also eager to show her what she learned. One by one they were called to swim out into the open water. Vida was the fifth kid in line and soon it was her turn. Taking a deep breath she lifted off the ledge to attempt her first solo swim. Keeping her head above water and her focus on moving her arms and legs in a way to keep her afloat she didn’t even know that she made it to the divider until her fingers touched the floating barrier. Holding onto the barrier for dear life she saw the instructor giving her a thumbs up and her moms were clapping. She did it! She swam all on her own!</p><p>The ending ceremony was that all the kids were given little metals and a certificate that they completed the lessons. When it was over Vida went to her moms. Her mom wrapped her in a towel and gave her a big hug.</p><p>“Vida that was great! I’m so proud of you baby.” Vida smiled as Zelda kissed one of her sun kissed cheeks.</p><p>“I guess I got to start calling you little fish now instead of baby bear.”</p><p>“No! I’m a bear! Always have been and always will be!” Vida shrieked when Mary swooped her up and started to tickle her. When she started to wiggle away Mary stopped but gave her a quick kiss on top of her head before letting her go.</p><p>“So lunch?” Vida nodded and after slipping on her cover up she left with each of her moms’ hands in her own excited about her future adventures in the water.</p>
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